The Green Girl's Back In Motion Control Shoes

After Tuesday's trail run, the Green Girl realized the medial support in the New Balance 760's was inadequate for her low arches.

After feeling one too many twinges of posterior tibial tendon pain, I knew I had to take them back. It was one of those cases where you feel fine when you are running but you feel pain after the fact.

I was running out of options at this point. The New Balance 85x high stability shoes combined with my orthotics were over-correcting my overpronation and causing me to oversupinate. The 740/760 stability shoes were not supportive enough. The 1123 motion control shoes offered the appropriate level of support but the sole was bulky and I disliked the high heel counter and flimsy tongue design.

I was feeling a little discouraged when I headed back to my local New Balance store after work today to return my latest purchase.

I was patiently waiting for a salesperson to assist me when I saw a pair of 1012's. Like the 1123's, the 1012 has a straight last. My podiatrist had mentioned shoes with a straight last would be a better fit for me because my Fred Flintstone feet are so straight.

I tried them on and jogged around the store. They felt really good and my gait felt solid and even. My faithful New Balance store allowed me to exchange the muddy 760's for the 1012's - no questions asked.

I was anxious to take my new shoes out for a spin so I headed out shortly after I got home.

Both of my knees are sore - I'm assuming from putting them through what is now four pairs of shoes in just over a week - so I opted to go for an easy run and focused on keeping my feet aligned.

I ran through some small neighborhoods and past shopping center. I ran on the grass around the Long Beach Traffic Circle.

Long Beach locals like to tell a tale of how the engineer who constructed the circle, Werner Ruchti, ultimately died in an automobile accident on the Circle.

From the Circle, I headed northbound on Lakewood Blvd. I ran past the furniture store that falsely advertises its demise a few times a year.

I was pleased that both my arches were feeling good. I wasn't experiencing any of that initial soreness that I felt with the 760's. My plantar fasciitis didn't flare up either.

I ran by the Long Beach National Guard Armory.

I caught glimpses of the sun setting west of Signal Hill as I ran home.

After this evening's good run, I am cautiously optimistic. Before I go to bed, I will do the posterior tibial tendonitis exercises and massage my feet with Peaceful Mountain Tendon Rescue Gel.

The Green Girl's Beach Run and Shoe Epiphany

The Green Girl went on a run on the Shoreline Pedestrian Bikepath last night with one of the Sole Runners, Michelle.

I love the Shoreline Pedestrian Bikepath because I am able to enjoy a view of the ocean without ever taking a step onto the sand. The bike path features two dedicated bike paths and a lane for runners and walkers. Rollerbladers frequent this path as well.

As the months get warmer, I postpone my runs later in the evening to avoid the heat. The side benefit is that I usually get to see the sun setting.

We parked by the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool since the metered parking doesn't seem to be enforced in the evenings. We decided to head west on the bike path towards Downtown Long Beach.

The sky was unusually overcast but I was still able to see the Queen Mary and the former Spruce Goose dome in the distance.

Before I go any further, I have a confession to make. Instead of wearing the motion control shoes this week, I've been running in my old overcorrecting stability shoes.

While the motion control shoes were faithfully keeping my little feet nice and straight, my inability to feel anything through the thick sole was starting to bother me so I decided to revert back to my former shoes 'just to see'. Yes, I'm oversupinating when I wear these shoes but they feel really good. I am much lighter on my feet and I can feel the ground under my feet again. Believe it or not, I even run faster in my old shoes!

I called New Balance technical support and explained my situation. I was told I should try a stability shoe - as opposed to the high stability shoe I ran in last night. The representative said high stability shoes are specifically designed to correct overpronation so it makes sense that it would overcorrect when combined with the orthotics. He felt a stability shoe would give me the support I need without the overcorrection.

The Green Girl is going to visit her local New Balance store again to see what options are out there for her faithful little feet.

The Green Girl Is Back In Business

This morning, the Green Girl met up with her running group, the Sole Runners, at Marina Vista Park.

In addition to my new orthotics, I also taped up my arch as a reinforcement.

I tried to stretch my calves as much as possible because the podiatrist had noticed my insanely tight calves and mentioned I need to stretch them more. I also purchased The Stick a few weeks ago and I've been using it on my calves a lot.

I started out slow. I wanted to see how my foot felt. I had gotten so accustomed to having that arch pad supporting my foot that I feel insecure without it now. Amazingly enough, my foot felt good. I felt like the orthotic was really supporting my arch.

I ended up running all the way to the Belmont Pool and back without stopping. I couldn't believe it.

On my way back, I saw Coach Steve and he asked me how my foot was and I told him I was feeling good.

Yes, my friends, the Green Girl managed to run 6.9 miles today. I would have tried for an even 7 but I was really really tired.

The Green Girl Squeaks Along

The Green Girl got her spiffy new orthotics yesterday. The podiatrist said it will take 2-4 weeks for me to break them in. The Green Girl doesn't have that kind of time so to help speed things up, she is wearing them in her running shoes with her work clothes today. The funny thing is that the left orthotic is squeaking really loudly. I think it's really obvious when I'm walking around the office but we all know a squeaky shoe is a small price to pay when we have more important things we need to be focusing on!

The podiatrist had specifically ordered full length orthotics because I had mentioned how I had gotten a pair years ago for plantar fasciitis that only extended from the heel to the ball of my foot and I could feel the edge of the orthotic under my foot and it drive me crazy. Those orthotics ended up in the trash in no time.

I even got to keep the plaster of paris molds of my faithful short, wide feet which can be re-used for future orthotics.

One thing that made me feel really good was the podiatrist - who is also a runner! - studied my running shoes for a really long time. He stared at them from the back and then put them on the floor. And then he finally said, 'These shoes are really good for you.'

Hopefully, if I walk around in them today and tomorrow, I'll be able to get a good run in them on Saturday.

The Green Girl Loves Green Superfeet

When my left arch started aching after my very first 5 mile run, I knew I needed additional arch support. My New Balance stability shoes had served me well for the shorter distances but my feet needed more support for the longer distances.

My arches almost completely collapse when I put weight on my feet. I also tend to overpronate when I run. The arches in your feet are designed to collapse and provide shock absorption. This is considered normal pronation. If your arches collapse so much that your feet roll inward, this is overpronation. For me, both my feet overpronate but my left foot rolls in more than the right. If your feet roll outward, this is supination.

I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis years before I decided to take up running. This is an inflammation of the plantar fascia, a thin layer of tough tissue supporting the arch of the foot. Because of my plantar fasciitis, activities like ice skating or roller blading are very painful for me. I also prefer to run on hard, even ground - running on soft surfaces like grass or sand are much more painful for me. When I was first diagnosed with plantar fasciitis by my podiatrist, she recommended I get custom orthotics. The orthotics were not covered by my insurance so I had to pay for them out of pocket. Unfortunately, they were uncomfortable and I never wore them. The edges cut into my heels and the orthotic only extended to the middle of my foot. With each step I took, I could feel the edge against the soles of my feet.

The day after my painful 5 mile run, I went to Road Runner Sports to get some advice on insoles. If you have a Road Runner Sports near you, I highly recommend visiting their store. They have this tool they call the Shoe Dog which they use to evaluate your gait, pronation, and stride. After analyzing me with the Shoe Dog system, the salesperson suggested I try a pair of Green Superfeet insoles.

At first, I thought they were too stiff but my feet responded really well to them. Because I had such a demanding training schedule, I had limited time to break them in. I wore them out to dinner, to work the next day and I ran a few miles when I got off work. I was concerned I needed more time for my feet to get accustomed to them but that wasn't the case.

The Green Superfeet insoles gave me the extra support I needed to increase my mileage. I'm able to manage my plantar fasciitis by wearing my New Balance stability shoes, the Green Superfeet insoles, and icing my feet after my long runs. I also massage the bottoms of my feet on a daily basis with a golf ball and stretch my calves every chance I get.

Shortly after I got my Green Superfeet insoles, I went to an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine and he mentioned he always tells his patients to try a pair of the Green Superfeet before investing in expensive orthotics. I wish my podiatrist had suggested the Green Superfeet from the start.